Cricket: Walsh has scalps on his mind

By Richard Boock

West Indian cricketer Courtney Walsh has a dozen fairly good reasons for wanting a decisive win in the upcoming test series against New Zealand.

The West Indians arrive in Christchurch tomorrow to play two tests, five one-day internationals and a tour match against New Zealand A before heading back to the Caribbean, at which stage Walsh could be the new world record-holder for test wickets.

The veteran Jamaican paceman has already taken 423 test wickets, just eight shy of Sir Richard Hadlee's 431 and 11 behind Kapil Dev's world mark of 434.

Named Jamaica's cricketer of the year shortly before assembling with his team-mates, Walsh will head a relatively inexperienced pace attack by West Indian standards, although one which is still likely to prove a handful for New Zealand's batsmen, particularly so early in the season.

The tourists will be missing the injured Curtly Ambrose and Corey Colleymore (a fast bowler who made his debut in the final test against Australia) but in Walsh, Reon King, Mervyn Dillon, Pedro Collins and Franklyn Rose, they have a pace attack ready to make use of any advantage at Hamilton or Wellington.

Rose, in particular, has plenty to prove after being disciplined by the selectors following a dispute over an unpaid hotel bill during the South African tour.

The 27-year-old had already taken 34 wickets in an injury and controversy-plagued 11-test career, but was dropped following scathing reports from coach Malcolm Marshall, who died earlier this month aged 41, and manager Clive Lloyd.

Out of the West Indies team for almost a year, Rose says he is anxious to put the bad-boy image behind him and concentrate on the forthcoming tour of New Zealand.

"Many things have changed and I have learned a lot," the Jamaican fast bowler told reporters before departing with the team.

"I know that I'm in form now as far as my bowling is concerned, but I don't want to get carried away. From what I've heard, the pitches are slow in New Zealand, so all I want to do is concentrate on my swing."

The West Indies' slow-bowling duties will be handled by emerging offspinner Nehemiah Perry, legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine, and part-timer Jimmy Adams.

The last time the West Indies played a test series abroad they were humiliated 5-0 by South Africa, and though they rebounded spectacularly at home to draw with Australia, that had much to do with two extraordinary innings from their captain, Brian Lara, who salvaged not only his captaincy, but also his reputation as one of the best players to walk the planet.

His brilliance aside, the West Indies' batting line-up is unusual only in that four of the likely top five batsmen - opener Adrian Griffith, Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adams (who has scored two 50s in his past 13 test innings) - are left-handed.

Ricardo Powell seems to be heading Wavell Hinds and Darren Ganga in a bid to claim a position deep in the tourists' middle order, while Ridley Jacobs, who averages a handy 32.85 in tests, will look to establish himself further as the country's leading wicketkeeper.

West Indies: Brian Lara (capt), Sherwin Campbell, Adrian Griffith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jimmy Adams, Wavell Hinds, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Nehemiah Perry, Courtney Walsh, Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon, Dinanath Ramnarine, Reon King, Franklyn Rose, Darren Ganga.